How do you get a Fax Machine, telephone and answering machine to work together?

[ironk]

Alright, this is a bit nutty, but we have a seperate phone, a separate answering machine and now just added a fax machine (all on one line). How do we get all of these to work together so they do what they have to do? The fax machine has three modes: Auto (picks up after 4 rings), Manual (you have to pick up the headset on the machine) and Tel/Fax (picks up phone after 2 rings and decides what to do). I tried the Tel/Fax option, but it seems like the fax machine takes over completly after two rings and the answering machine doesn't get a chance.

Right now i have disconnected the fax machine since i have to let the answering machine work.

Any workarounds to this besides getting a new line or do a online fax service?

Thx.

 

[acemcmac]

I think answering machines and fax machines are mutually exclusive. Either one picks up first or the other picks up first. I've never heard of them peacefully co-existing.

 

[Queasy]

Sounds like an opening line to a joke...

 

[Electric Amish]

There are phone routing boxes that you can get that can do this. My mother has one.

Like this...

 

[skyking]

lineshare device.
command communications are really good.

it "listens" to the first ring. you hear nothing. If it hears fax announce tones, (which are transmitted by almost every fax machine these days), it sends the call to the fax port on the back. set fax machine to print on one ring.

If it hears no tones, it sends to the phone port.

If you get an older one, you can send a dialstring from a modem to it, with a bunch of "2"'s after your number, it hears those 2's, and routes call to your computer modem for dial in capability. this is expecially handy for 'out of band' communications, like when the cable internet or DSL goes to crap and you really need to remote in.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

.

 

[ironk]

hrm....anything cheaper than a command box? wonder if anyone is selling it for cheap here....

 

[So]

Originally posted by: Queasy
Sounds like an opening line to a joke...

Yeah. I came in here expecting a punch line.

 

[mugs]

There is a service you can pay for from your phone company - you get a second phone number (I think) but you only have one phone line. When someone calls the second line, the ring is different. The fax machine knows to pick up then.

I have no idea what this service is called or if it is supported by all fax machines.

 

[Amused]

Do what I did. Get a fax machine with a built in answering machine.

 

[imported_weadjust]

I have a different # for the fax machine. It's called distinctive ring service from Bell South and cost $4.00 a month. Same phone line but when the fax # is called it makes two short rings instead of the usual ring.

 

[ironk]

guess i am going the distinctive ring way, i removed call forwarding and added that instead. Same price since i could pick 5 features at RCN. Thanks all for the help, really appreciated.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Radio Shack used to have a box that would route the calls

 

[kami333]

I have my answering phone hooked up to my fax machine which is hooked up to the wall. Phone rings for a while, answering machine picks up, if there is a fax signal the fax machine cuts the line to the answering machine and recieves the fax. Had it like that or similar for 15years.

 

[Kelemvor]

Run the phoen line from the wall to the fax to the ans machine to the phone. Set the fax to AUto but set it to like 10 rings. Set the ans machine to answer after 4 rings.

What should happen is the answering machine picks up after 4 but it's going through the fax so if it's a fax coming in, the fax will automatically take over the call when it hears the beeps and such. If not, it just lets the call stay on the answering machine.

However some fax machines are stupid and will try to pick up the line even if it's nto really a fax. But most don't do that.

EDIT: Basically what Kami said...

 

[isekii]

RTFM